How to nudge spirituality to clients, if at all?

[ricachica]

I watched this video as a homework assignment, and essentially this person found his way to recovery from addiction through spiritual experiences that he had, despite many other addiction treatment modalities he went through. He was introduced to CBT, outpatient groups, 12-Step meetings every day, church every Saturday and Sunday, bible study every Tuesday, and frequented an MMA gym. None of these ultimately worked for him, it was his personal encounter with a spiritual experience.

Personally, I never really suffered from addiction, but I suffered from suicidal ideations from the ages of 9-21 years of age. From 18-20 I was atheist, and it was my spiritual experience that got me out of it. At the core of what stopped my suicidal ideations was the spiritual experiences I personally had, whether through psychedelics or dreams. I did go to therapy and other things, but what I truly believe keeps me going from falling too down a dark hole, even through hard times, is my touch with spirituality.

My goal is to eventually become a therapist myself, and currently I might be taking a job as a case manager for previously homeless individuals who are still actively using drugs (harm reduction/housing first methods).

If I personally feel that spirituality has helped me the most, and my clients have never had nor thought about spirituality, where is my ethical boundary in nudging or not nudging them towards it? How deeply can someone truly change without a spiritual experience?

 

Edited September 21 by ricachica

[PurpleTree]

sure why not

but also for some people with certain mental issues psychedelics and some practices could be harmful

[ricachica]

@PurpleTree Oh of course. I’m not planning on even mentioning the word psychedelic with clients unless they bring it up first, and even then it’s not my position to encourage it further.

What I mean is— is it possible to have deep fundamental changes to your being, changes that are so drastic that it ends a years long addiction to heroin, without a personal spiritual experience?

Personal spiritual experience being different from simply reading the bible or going to church— which is just intellectual and heady and not a direct experience with divinity.

Edited September 21 by ricachica

[Breakingthewall]

31 minutes ago, ricachica said:

it possible to have deep fundamental changes to your being, changes that are so drastic that it ends a years long addiction to heroin, without a personal spiritual experience?

Spirituality is looking inside, addiction is looking outside. They have to understand that they are the whole thing, and this is spirituality. You can make them see this nuance and make the change

[Nivsch]

The problem is complex but one of its components is the lack of inner meaning and inner rewarding source.

It is better not to impose how you see sprituality on him but rather to lead him to follow his own path according to his intuition.

Working on finding his leading core values can be beneficial, together with encouraging him to confront his negative emotions directly in a constructive way and with a learning mindset. Will be a long process for sure.

Edited September 21 by Nivsch

[Hojo]

@ricachica You need to ask them specific questions specific towards them to unlock their karma. They have thunk themselves into a trap and you need to figure out the trap and ask them questions in order for them to realize what they are doing. I think the answer is to just be a genuine therapist that wants to help people and you will just automatically do it.

You arent trying to open their lock you are trying to find out what key they need and give it to them. If you do that you will open them up to spirituality. You cannot make them turn the key tho.

Edited September 21 by Hojo

[gettoefl]

Everyone needs a nudge

To teach is to demonstrate, to role model it

Ultimately all need and all deserve

Practically we have to be strategic

With most of the world we are are sharing lies

Namely duality

With a few we share only truthful thoughts

in actions conversations and helpful thoughts

Spirituality is

who you are walking home with

Edited September 21 by gettoefl

[BlueOak]

Find their core issues, as simple as you can make them. Common themes or behavioral patterns. The simpler and more connected the better.

Plot where they are on the spiral dynamics model, and where they are on an emotional scale privately in regards to each core issue.  Then tailor your approach to that.



 

[ricachica]

@Nivsch I like this a lot, it helps avoid even using the word 'spirituality' in case that's something they are not into. I definitely want to avoid forcing my view on them, and see how I can help bring it out of them through their own intuition like you said. Thank you.

[ricachica]

On 9/21/2024 at 8:25 AM, Hojo said:

You arent trying to open their lock you are trying to find out what key they need and give it to them. If you do that you will open them up to spirituality. You cannot make them turn the key tho.

Love this analogy, thank you. I wonder if I should just focus on them (my possible work with previously homeless, current addicts) getting practical matters out of the way to be grounded in this reality first too, if Maslow's hierarchy of needs plays a role in their spirituality.

[ricachica]

@gettoefl Very beautiful wording. Nudging versus forcing is a delicate balance, just making sure I don't cross into the forcing side.

[ricachica]

@BlueOak Funny how I have not come across anyone else in my field who is aware of spiral dynamics yet. I wonder when it will get taught, and especially used as a tool in practice.

[Hojo]

@ricachica Im pretty sure you should learn about yourself most importantly. If you know yourself and how and why you work you know everyone and how and why they work.

[BlueOak]

42 minutes ago, ricachica said:

@BlueOak Funny how I have not come across anyone else in my field who is aware of spiral dynamics yet. I wonder when it will get taught, and especially used as a tool in practice.

A standardized way to model reality. They'll always be improving models because infinity is undefinable and our awareness of it constantly shifting. It's useful if you can see people at multiple stages on the spiral in regards to different issues, and how they connect between them. This goes hand in hand with your ability to find some of the roots of what causes all behaviors in them. It slowly becomes impossible to ignore those things in yourself (because all of reality is you). So people have to be able at least to look at their own reflections to see it and communicate it to others effectively.

Experts in fields with some communication skill will often put their expertise into a form that best suits a client, patient, friend whatever. They'll use whatever way they have modeled reality in their mind. By the time anything specifically like spiral dynamics is being taught in a practical form, we'll probably be discussing something else.

Edited September 22 by BlueOak